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The passage of a Oregon-record $790 million construction bond for Portland Public Schools buildings was met with jubilation and relief by teachers and parents tonight, after a year spent handing bottled water to children in schools where the drinking fountains are contaminated with lead.
"I'm speechless in a great way," said a teary-eyed Lisa Kensel, the Portland Council Parent Teachers Association president. "This means my kid will get the water turned on at their school for the first time in a year."
Related: Portland passes a record school bond, as voters choose fixes over frustration.
At 8 pm sharp in the campaign headquarters in the Central Eastside, the screen showing the initial vote count was refreshed. Hollers of joy erupted as the yes count ran ahead. Early results showed 61 percent approval—a number that held solid for the rest of the evening.
The roughly 75 supporters gathered in the building said their enthusiasm was underlined by the knowledge that new buildings and improved infrastructure would help generations of Portland Public School students.
About $150 million of the bond is dedicated to fixing pipes from lead risk, as well as removing asbestos and lead paint. The rest of the money will go to complete renovations or rebuilds of four school buildings: Lincoln, Madison and Benson high schools as well as Kellogg Middle School.
"Most of all I'm excited to be able to show my grandkids the buildings that we voted to fix, to say that we came together as a city in 2017," said Brad Nelson, a parent and bond committee member.
Despite the self-sabotage and scandal that have shrouded PPS for more than a year, some community members who were present they weren't really surprised to see the bond pass.
"I've always had faith in PPS," said Chris Linn, a parent and bond supporter. "Those who are close to the district know that there are good people there."
Related: With a week left before election day, the school district kept punching itself in the face.
For parents like Linn who've kids have since graduated from Portland public schools, the bond's proposed repairs have been a long time coming. Linn's wife, Barbara, remembers the state of disrepair she saw schools in when her kids were in attendance.
"I saw some bad conditions and I'm very excited we're making moves to address them," she said.
Scott Overton, incoming president for the statewide PTA, said he was amazed that voters accepted the hefty price tag. "I'm ecstatic," he said, "that the city is willing to support reinvestment in schools on a level we've never seen."